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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Sami Quadri

Gunman who tried to kidnap Princess Anne freed from Broadmoor – and now claims it was all a hoax

Ian Ball, now 77, was 26 when he ambushed the Princess Royal on The Mall in March 1974 - (Getty)

The man who tried to kidnap Princess Anne at gunpoint nearly 50 years ago has been quietly released from a high-security mental hospital and is now waging a bizarre campaign to clear his name.

Ian Ball, now 77, was 26 when he ambushed the Princess Royal on The Mall in March 1974. He attempted to abduct her at gunpoint and shot four men who tried to intervene.

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